Bucko's World

Sometimes you just get a film, or a book or a picture on the wall; sometimes it seems to speak to you in a way that goes to the very core of your soul and makes a deep, lifelong impression on you.  Sometimes it becomes part of your very being.....

Or that all could be complete bullshit - but it's definitely fair to say that I rather like the film Despicable Me.  So when I found out there was a new ride at Universal dedicated to this masterpiece, a big grin spread across my face - this will be good, and contain Minions.....

So, Sunday dawns sunny and hot, - quelle surprise - but we all decided on a lie in before a day out at Universal and, for me at least, the two rides of the holiday I'm most excited about: Despicable Me and the immense looking Rollercoaster The Rocket.



Knowing how popular it's been proving to be, we thought a 50 minute to see the Minions wasn't going to be too bad.  There's video screens showing clips and questions to answer so the first 20 minutes or so are fine - the next hour though gets a bit repetitious.....but God is it worth it!  A simulated rollercoaster ride through Gru's lair with millions of Minions, explosions, drops, twists and errr....Minions and explosions we are all grinning from ear to ear when the ride finishes - this is bound to be a highlight of the trip.....

As for The Rocket, this has been a ride with an agonising three year queue for us all, as last time we were here it only officially opened on the last day of our visit and then had a four hour wait for a chance to, possibly, not actually get on it.  So 20 minutes sir?  Fuck yeah!  To say that this ride doesn't disappoint is an understatement.............


After a vertical climb 17 - yes 17 stories straight up, you're looped up, down and sideways at 65 MPH all while having your favourite rock song blasting in your ears (for the record I chose ZZ Top..) and your stomach almost removed from your body - it was incredible.  What did I say about Despicable Me?  A further visit to this is an absolute must once Mozza's spine unkinks......

When you've had such a disappointing meal the night before there's really only one option to purge the memory - go back to somewhere you loved - in this case the Aussie steakfest of the Outback..


Despite their Kids menu being called "Joey Kids Menu" which will cause a chuckle amongst those of us of a certain age, this really is a top notch place - why can't we have one over here?

After fancying ribs last night, and only getting third rate chicken nuggets, the only thing to plump for here is the full rack of baby back with a side order of mashed potato.  And it is good, quite simply the best ribs any of us have ever tasted.  To say they fell apart would be doing them a disservice,  more tender than a soft-boiled egg, and just fabulous tasting.  And the thing is, all this costs about £15 a head, not the £25 to £30 at home, and is twice as good (at least).  Why can't we match this in the UK?  I just don't get it...

So stuffed with meat, and still grinning from ear to ear we head home ready to face another day of shopping and food!